The Associated Students of Madison’s Constitutional Committee met Tuesday night to address many committee members’ questions about their proposed constitution and the process of ongoing campus listening sessions.

There was some confusion among the committee members as to the status of ASM’s press office, which is still not operational.

Student Council is scheduled to evaluate and re-approve members of the press office this afternoon, which members believe will assist in informing students of upcoming listening sessions.

The new constitution is in its first draft and has left many, including some in the government itself, with additional questions as to the distinctions between the new and old structures, especially differences between the current student council and proposed student senate.

“Feedback has been fairly mixed thus far,” said Jeff Wright, chair of the Constitutional Committee. “Students are optimistic about contributing to what could be a new constitution for student government, but some have reservations with certain structural elements, including if and how the senate committees will be working with the executive offices.”

Tuesday’s meeting also aimed to clarify the details of the proposed constitution and how to best answer the reservations and questions of both committee members and students during future student listening sessions.

ASM has already held two listening sessions open to all UW students to compile feedback to the changes and make revisions based on student comments.

“I thought the listening sessions were quite successful insofar as the students who attended offered insightful and critical comments and questions,” Wright said. “Their input will be greatly useful in guiding revisions to the draft constitution.”

The Constitutional Committee plans to have another three listening sessions to compose a second draft of the constitution by Nov. 2.

That draft will also be subject to listening sessions and revisions to create a final draft that will be voted on by Student Council in December.

If Student Council approves the constitution’s third draft, a referendum will come before students in February to vote on it.

Whether the new constitution passes in February or not, ASM will hold elections this spring to fill positions according to either the current student government system or the proposed one.

UW students will get another chance to question ASM about their proposed constitution and student government restructuring next Tuesday during the latest student listening session.

During the committee’s meeting, council members shared concerns with both the current system of government and the details of the proposed constitution.

“Right now it seems like ASM is currently very undergraduate-centric,” said Johnny Tackett, representative of the school of medicine and public health.

Tackett believed the new changes would help expand graduate student participation.

“Some of the new structure will be better equipped to take in all of the student voice and act upon it,” Tackett said. “And I think the revamping of the system itself … will rekindle an interest from the grad students.”

ASM’s current draft of the constitution would call for the position of student body president to be elected from both graduate and undergraduate students, which Tackett also cited as an example of further integration of graduate students.